


Falling For You

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Whumptober 2019 [13]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Love Confessions, Multi, Snusmumriken | Snufkin Has Paws and a Tail, Springtime Trio - Freeform, ask to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 19:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20980802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: A trip into the Lonely Mountain (and a hoped for confession) goes wrong when Moomin gets hurt protecting Snufkin and Snorkmaiden from an accident.There may still be more than a few tears and secrets revealed before they get him home.Whumptober Day 10: Unconscious





	Falling For You

It was supposed to be a short trip. Little more than a day trip, out and back overnight, really, just Moomin and Snorkmaiden and Snufkin out together on a short adventure.

Snufkin wasn't quite sure why Moomin and Snorkmaiden wanted him along on what could be – still seemed to be – a date, but an impulse, some foreboding inherited from his father, made him say yes. A small warning, a feeling that something could go wrong if he did go, but would decidedly go wrong if he didn't.

He listened when those decided to speak up.

Snufkin didn't take his tent, just packed his bag with his usual supplies and headed off with the twosome early that morning.

They had a small bag apiece, and he suspected it was mostly food from Moominmamma.

He was a little surprised Little My didn't pop up and demand to come along, but that was Little My for you – always unpredictable.

Snufkin brought it up, and both Moomin and Snorkmaiden blushed, refusing to meet Snufkin's eyes.

Very odd.

\---XXX---

The three of them walked along through a pleasant, soft morning without the need for conversation. They stopped for lunch at a spot Snufkin knew, one he directed them to that they hadn't seen yet – a spot where a waterfall threw up spray that reflected rainbows into the pool below, surrounded by trees and flowers.

Snorkmaiden was enchanted, flushing a bright gold as she hurried down to the pool, and Moomin equally so. Moomin couldn't change color to wear his heart quite so clearly on his sleeve Snufkin could tell, with the way his eyes went wide and sparkled at the sight.

Lunch was spread out on a blanket, and Moomin shyly explained that he'd helped Moominmamma make it.

He blushed and squirmed happily under the praise both Snorkmaiden and Snufkin gave him, each in their own way, while the remains of lunch were packed away to join the rest of their food and the hike resumed.

Normally, Snufkin would walk ahead, leading the way. Today, though, they all knew the way and so walked together.

Moomin and Snorkmaiden walked paw in paw. Usually, Snufkin walked with his paws on his pack straps, but he let one swing at his side.

A furry paw brushed against his, once, twice, a third time, before the owner slid their paw into his. Snufkin started, glanced over to see both Moomin and Snorkmaiden coloring pink but carefully Not Looking at him.

So Snufkin curled his fingers around the paw in his and tried to keep his own blush down, not quite sure what was happening but willing to go along with it anyway.

\---XXX---

They reached their campsite around mid afternoon and set up.

Snufkin didn't cook for other people often, but he took on that chore tonight. It wasn't much, after all – mostly warming up what they'd brought with them with a bit of assembly.

His hat had a new crown of flowers thanks to Snorkmaiden by the time dinner was ready, and they sat and ate comfortably together, without the uncomfortable small talk that made Snufkin dislike eating with people.

There was star gazing to follow, and Moominmamma had sent along the makings for s'mores, which got them all sticky and giggly, thankful there was a stream to wash off in next to where they camped.

They woke early the next morning, woken by the sun and the sound of the birds.

They sat by the stream as Snufkin made breakfast, watching as the sun painted the sky in pastels as she rose.

“Is it always like this?” Snorkmaiden asked breathlessly.

Snufkin shrugged, keeping an eye on the food. “It might get tiring after awhile if it were. But there's something to be said for the mornings that are nothing like this as well. Here, breakfast is ready,” he said, sliding eggs onto fried bread and handing it out, sitting next to the other two with his own.

\---XXX---

Campsite tidied, they started on their way back – a new path Moomin had discovered and wanted to share with his two most important people.

A set of wet stones crossed the stream, and Moomin helped Snorkmaiden to cross – then, to Snufkin's confusion, came back to hold his paw and help him across as well.

Snorkmaiden giggled and held out her paws, taking one of Snufkin's as he finished the crossing, and the two of them started walking while still holding the confused but decidedly not-complaining Snufkin's paws.

\---XXX---

They were halfway down when disaster struck.

The path, which had been solid underfoot, gave without warning from under their feet.

Moomin, on the outside edge of the path, was the first to feel it going, and he used his grip on Snufkin's paw to fling Snufkin and Snorkmaiden to safety.

They stumbled and fell, taken off guard both by the sudden treachery of the ground and being thrown.

And both screamed Moomin's name, reaching for him in vain as he disappeared over the side of the hill.

Snufkin scrambled to his feet, reaching the side of the path first. “This is bad,” he said, claws out and tail lashing in stress. He dug quickly in his pack, looping rope around a rock. “Here, you go first, I'll keep the rope steady,” he said to Snorkmaiden.

She glanced over the edge, her fur tinged purplish with fear before grasping the rope and making her way down.

Snufkin pulled his full weight against the rope, holding it steady against Snorkmaiden's larger weight as she made her way down as quickly as she dared.

“He's unconscious!” she called up as soon as she was off the ropes, kneeling by Moomin's side.

“I'm on my way,” Snufkin called back. Looping the rope around his waist, he rappelled down the hill, pulling the rope down after him and coiling it roughly as he rushed to Moomin's side.

There were rocks and dirt piled on top of and beside him, and Snorkmaiden was silently panicking.

Snufkin grasped her paw for a moment, and they locked eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded and both started gently feeling for broken bones or unseen wounds.

“Lots of little scratches and bruises, nothing worse, but he's still unconscious, and that's bad enough,” Snufkin finally said. “Here, I think it's safe to get him out of the rocks at least.”

Together they got the rocks off of Moomin and managed to lift him and carry him down the path to a shaded spot under some trees.

They made Moomin as comfortable as they could, and Snufkin dug out his first aid kit. He wasn't sure if it would help, but there might yet be something in it that could.

Beside Moomin, Snorkmaiden started to cry, large, silent tears that tracked down her face as she buried it in her paws.

“Snorkmaiden?” Snufkin said. “Snorkmaiden...”

She shook her head, her fur a rainbow of unhappy colors. “You don't understand. We were...it was Moomin's idea. We were going to have a nice trip with you, and maybe we were finally going to tell you how Moomin's been in love with you practically since the comet and I've had a crush on you almost as long and we wanted to ask you to date us, and it was all going so well, but now Moomin's hurt and I'm useless! And you'd never want to date someone who's useless at anything but being pretty, and Moomin...we don't know how bad he might be hurt, and...”

Snufkin gripped Snorkmaiden's paws, drawing them down from her face, and her tears flowed harder at the look on his face.

“Snorkmaiden, don't you ever call yourself useless again,” Snufkin said sternly. “You are so much more than pretty. You are pretty, but you're smart, and you're braver than you let yourself think you are. You've got to stop letting those books and magazines tell you who you're supposed to be. Remember when the comet came? You saved all of us, more than once. Now, it's going to take both of us to save Moomin. Okay?”

Snorkmaiden sniffled and nodded, her colors brighter than before. She squeezed Snufkin tightly for a brief moment, startling them both, before taking a deep breath.

“I don't know what to do,” she said. “The only thing I can think of is to get him to Moominmamma, but we can't carry him that far. We barely managed this far.”

“One of us could go back to Moomin House and get help,” Snufkin said, but Snorkmaiden was already shaking her head.

“We need to be here for him,” she protested. “What about...a stretcher? There's lots of branches, and we have blankets.”

“...okay, but if he gets worse then we'll have to get help,” Snufkin said. Snorkmaiden squeezed his paws.

“Then let's hurry.”

\---XXX---

They had been walking for half an hour now, and had to take a break.

Both of them were stronger than people gave them credit for, but Moomin was heavy, and even with both of them carrying him, this wasn't flat terrain and it was wearing on them.

“I don't understand,” Snufkin suddenly said as they rested, staring out into the forest and refusing to look over at Snorkmaiden. “Why either of you would want...I'm a vagabond. A mumrik. You haven't heard half of what people say about mumriks. Can't be loyal, dirty, thieves. I am dirty and restless. I know how much it hurts Moomin every year when I leave for winter, yet I keep doing it. I can't stay. I'll just keep breaking your hearts every year.”

“Now it's my turn to demand you stop saying things like that about yourself,” Snorkmaiden said, her colors flushing toward red. “You don't listen to what people say, why would you start now?”

“Someday I might not come back and you'll forget me soon enough,” Snufkin said, still refusing to meet her eyes.

Snorkmaiden flew to her feet, grasping Snufkin's face in both paws to make him look at her. “Even if you disappeared tomorrow we would never forget you,” she said fiercely. “And we'd miss you every day. But we let you go in winter because you need to go. And loving someone means letting them go when they need to. You promise to come back, and you always do and always will so long as you promise. Because we trust you. You're not dirty or disloyal or anything else bad they say! You're a good, noble person, no matter how much chaos you and Little My might cause, and we love you, and we can't stop even if you decide you don't want to date us. Because you deserve to be loved, so much, and you already are, by so many! Do you get it?”

Snufkin stared at Snorkmaiden for a few moments as if he had never seen her before before his arms slid around her, standing to complete the hug. “What a remarkable Snork,” he said quietly into her shoulder. “And a remarkable Moomin.”

He leaned back after a long, long moment as the two of them clung to each other, his head ducked as he rubbed at his face. “We'd best get moving again, we need to get Moomin home.”

Snorkmaiden wisely didn't bring up the tears that she'd seen for a moment at the corners of his eyes, squeezing his paws instead and going to take up the stretcher again.

\---XXX---

The trip was taking much longer this way, and the longer Moomin stayed unconscious, the more worried they both became.

Because the longer Moomin was unconscious, the more likely it was it would be serious.

Abruptly Moomin shifted in the stretcher, throwing them both off balance and nearly toppling all three of them.

“Snufkin...” he moaned, softly. “Snorkmaiden, no...”

They gaped at him for a brief moment before lowering the stretcher, rushing to take his paws. “Moomin, we're here,” Snorkmaiden said, rubbing his paw.

“Wake up,” Snufkin urged. “Come on, open your eyes.”

Slowly, Moomin's eyes opened a crack, closing quickly. “Ugh, hurts...” he moaned.

“We're on our way home,” Snorkmaiden told him. “Try to stay awake.”

Moomin groaned softly. “Moomin, you have to stay awake,” she repeated.

“But...” he tried to protest.

Snufkin rubbed his paw. “Listen to Snorkmaiden,” he urged quietly. “It's not good for you to be unconscious so long. You've got us worried.”

Moomin didn't answer that, but he did stay awake, with a little moan.

The two picked the stretcher back up and picked up the pace, talking quietly now to help Moomin stay awake.

\---XXX---

Little My saw them coming and ran to get Moominmamma, yelling her name as she ran.

Moominmamma rushed outside, directing the two to the guest room – it was on the second floor, not the top like Moomin's proper room, and she couldn't ask them to carry him up that many flights of stairs.

Snufkin explained what happened while they got Moomin into bed, biting back tears and fears. “He pushed us out of the way,” he repeated. “If he hadn't...”

“My son would rather see himself hurt than either of you,” Moominmamma soothed. “This isn't your fault, or Snorkmaiden's, or Moomin's. A terrible accident, with no one to blame.”

Snufkin took a deep breath. “I know he saved us both by doing it,” he said, almost as steady as usual, “and that we might not have made it back if he hadn't. But still.”

Snorkmaiden came over then, putting her paws on his shoulders, and Moominmamma was pleased to see his paws raise to cover hers.

She nodded, touching Snufkin's cheek gently for a moment before attending to her son.

\---XXX---

Moomin had to spend the rest of the week in bed, to be sure there were no lingering effects of his fall and being knocked unconscious.

It was time enough for the three of them to do the most difficult of tasks in a relationship – and the most important. To sit and talk things out, really talk things out.

So when Moomin was released from his bed, Snorkmaiden and Snufkin were waiting for him, and he blushed redder than Moominmamma's roses when they both kissed him, so relieved that he was going to be all right.

And set off for the riverbank paw in paw, to enjoy another wonderful day in Moomin Valley.


End file.
